The setting sun streaks the sky as the hour-long drive along the Chennai-OMR leads to Guduvancherry, via Thiruporur. The road, fairly good, meanders through remote villages with lush paddy fields and barren and agricultural lands, some of which have been turned into residential layouts. The tower of a temple comes into sight as one crosses the junction at Kaatur village. It is the ancient Uthira Vaidhyalingeswarar Swami temple, with a majestic five-tier Rajagopuram.
“The temple is 1,200 years old. The deity here is a swayambu lingam facing North and is believed to cure diseases. Hence the name Uthira Vaidhyalingeswarar,” explains the priest. “The Goddess is Thaiyal Nayaki and this temple is Angaraka Parihara Sthalam,” he adds. The sthala vrukshams are neem and palm. The fish icon on the roof of the sanctum sanctorum of the Moolavar indicates Pandya connection. The premises has shrines for Vinayaka, Dakshinamurthi, Vishnu, Brahma and Chandikeswara.
Legend has it that the sylvan setting and thick foliage earned the village the name Kaatur and that Sage Agathiyar chose the spot for his penance. The village is known for its temple tank that never dries up. It is said that to relieve the village of an epidemic disease caused due to dearth of water, Agathiyar prayed to Lord Siva and the result was a pond, which never dries up. It later came to be known as Agathiyar Tirtham. People believe that its water has medicinal properties. Sathya, a resident of Kaatur, says that the tank brims with water even during severe summer. But proper maintenance and a compound wall can help preserve its sanctity.
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Devotees from nearby villages earlier used to come here in large numbers to witness festivities on Panguni Uthiram and Vaikasi Visakham. But over the years, due to negligence, the temple fell into a state of disrepair and the conduct of daily rituals and festivals were affected too. To revive the lost glory, devotees formed the Thaiyalnayaki Udanurai Arulmigu Uthira Vaidhyalingeswarar Swamy Trust. Renovation work, in two phases, was undertaken and consecration was performed in 2004. The Trust has plans to construct the temple chariot for which donation is solicited (call 94448 78797/ 94457 36549).
A couple of years ago, the Kanchi Sankara Math took the initiative to establish a ‘gosala’ with 20 cows. Milk from the gosala is used for the early morning abhishekam of Uthira Lingeswarar Swami.
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How to reach
Thirukattur is located around 10 km from the Thiruporur junction on the Illalur-Guduvancherry road via Nellikuppam and Manapakkam villages. Temple timing: 5.30-11 a.m. and 4-8 p.m. Buses are available from T. Nagar (519), Tambaram (555), Broadway (102X) and Koyambedu (570X).